At first read, I thought that was a more relaxed version of "Work from home".
If only!At first read, I thought that was a more relaxed version of "Work from home".
From a quick Google Earth survey: the problem at Pontypridd is the retaining wall south of the station (and the necessity of bespoke wall brackets for masts in said wall); the problem at Merthyr is the viaducts to the south of the station, the problem from Lisvane to Caerphilly is Caerphilly Tunnel; the problem at Bargoed is the cut-and-cover tunnel immediately south of the station (for the bus interchange); and the problem around Cathays is the Cardiff Uni Student Union building (conveniently going right over the tracks), which leads right to the complex area around Cardiff QS.
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You'd really hope that any buildings put up in the last few years when electrification has been on the cards would not cause any issues with the potential for wiring. Else somebody has really dropped a ball during the planning process.
Cardiff Council hasn't exactly been known for sensible planning decisions over the past few years, virtually anything that applies for planning permission in Cardiff is rubber stamped and waved through without an iota of scrutiny.
Thanks for the info!From a quick Google Earth survey: the problem at Pontypridd is the retaining wall south of the station (and the necessity of bespoke wall brackets for masts in said wall); the problem at Merthyr is the viaducts to the south of the station, the problem from Lisvane to Caerphilly is Caerphilly Tunnel; the problem at Bargoed is the cut-and-cover tunnel immediately south of the station (for the bus interchange); and the problem around Cathays is the Cardiff Uni Student Union building (conveniently going right over the tracks), which leads right to the complex area around Cardiff QS.
Interestingly, Radyr is fully electrified while Pontypridd isn't, and both are junctions - I'd say an additional straw to break the Pontypridd camel's back is the switch diamond at Ponty's northern throat - which happens to be right under a footbridge toward the station. Cardiff QS also has one, to the north of the A4161 (albeit without a footbridge right above).
Radyr has no such turnouts. (TFW must really loathe the idea of cross-contact bars
That's easy to say and equally easy to disprove as Cardiff Council planning committee meetings are all webcast and available online. The scrutiny has always seemed very thorough to me, even when I personally disagree with a decision.
By dropping the ball I meant Network Rail and its successor body as owner. I would suggest that if due representation was made, it would be very difficult for a planning body to wave something through from such a key stakeholder (who quite probably has statutory rights in relation to building rights adjacent to the railway, although I am not an expert on the subject).
I agree, for example I'm interested in the new rolling stock but not in reading about the demand for airports in Cardiff and Bristol!
Agreed. Rail UK forums operate very well by having very clearly defined sub-forums for discussion of specific topics, rail and non-rail related. This thread is very clearly in the heavy rail 'Infrastructure & Stations' sub-forum, which is being generous in itself as we know the Metro is a mix of heavy and light rail.
If I were them I wouldn’t be putting those videos out to the public!
Just to pick up on that, the recent service downgrades to one train per hour at the heads of the valleys really hasn't helped that thinking. Certainly some friends / family I have back home are more likely to think the hourly service is now the normal rather than the frequency increasing to four per hour.
Much better to have a reliable hourly service atm, than lots of cancellations that leave people in the lurch. GWR has also cut a lot of services - I don't think the TOCs have much control over staffing levels at the moment given the amount of pinging going on.
I think the "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude is very strong amongst valleys people at the moment - and who can blame them after everything the last hundred years has thrown at them?
